It’s been peaceful since we moved here. Apart from the cows and the postman… and a few odd visitors like the hedgehog. I was really starting to feel I could relax a bit. She obviously doesn’t need as much protecting here.

For a start, I don’t have all those bedrooms to worry about… in fact, no upstairs at all! It took me a while to work that one out, ’cause there is an upstairs. We live in a house with an upstairs… but that isn’t our house. She calls it a flat, because it is. And no-one walks down our little street… so I don’t need to bark so much.

We did have a problem with sparrows last year, but I sorted them out. They wanted to nest in the roof and one cock-sparrow would sit there and look at me, chirping, all day! I was obliged to have words with him about that…till he got a missus and they had babies. He was too busy then.

“It’s only a sparrow, girlie!” she kept saying. “I like sparrows.” Well, so she might…but she just doesn’t seem to understand. I am just doing my duty, keeping her safe. You never know…especially with sparrows…

It started with just one at the other place too…then there were forty and more, all living in the honeysuckle hedge! It was all I could do to keep up! She said I was a daft dog and that one or forty didn’t matter…they were all nice. She has some weird tastes that two-legs of mine. The racket those birds made, twittering about nests, worms and sunrises every morning! It’s not as if they are capable of holding an interesting conversation. It was a real noise! “…but I like it,” she says. And then, as soon as I barked at them to ask them to keep it down, “Shh,” she says. Inconsistent, that’s what she is…

But this year, we have trouble. I looked up at the window of the upstairs flat….that’s when I saw it. Well, straight away, I went into protecting mode… after all, she was just inside the door! “Shh,” she says, “it’s just a sparrow.” She obviously wasn’t paying attention. She knows my sparrow bark. And that wasn’t it.

I was obliged to resort to The Growl… the low growl that says there is a real threat. “What’s up, whirly girl?” she says…and she finally came out to have a look.

A cat. That’s what’s ‘up’. Up there, in the window above ours, looking down, all supersillyous snarky. It didn’t even move. Just looked at me. When did that arrive? It wasn’t there before… I would definitely have noticed.

Now it looks at me every day. They leave the blind up so it can look out. It sits there, all black and white, looking really pleased with itself. And she says I have to learn to get along with it! It’s bad enough having the little dog next door that won’t speak. To be fair, we can’t see each other over the fence. I’ve tried, but it must be too small to get its paws on the fence…and as we are both well-mannered, we can’t really speak till we’ve been introduced.

Hrmph. She seems to find the idea of me being well-mannered funny for some reason. There’s no call for that amount of laughter…

I tell you, she just doesn’t understand me.

So any way, that’s how things stand. A stand-off. I growl, it smirks. Unless Upstairs Cat gets a cat-flap. Then things might get interesting…

But she says I have to live and let live… and that just because Upstairs Cat is different from me, it doesn’t mean it isn’t doing its job. She says we should make friends! She says that even if it’s different it is still loved by its two-legses and that I have to behave.

I’ve said it before…she has some weird ideas… Me? Behave?

Ah well, she’s always been an optimist 😉

Much love,

Ani xxx

Press a button or two to share... go on, make my day :)

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent is a Yorkshire-born writer and one of the Directors of The Silent Eye, a modern Mystery School. She has written a number of books, both alone and with Stuart France, exploring ancient myths, the mysterious landscape of Albion and the inner journey of the soul. She is owned by a small dog who also blogs.
Follow her at scvincent.com and on Twitter @SCVincent Find her books on Goodreads and follow her on Amazon worldwide to find out about new releases and offers. Email: findme@scvincent.com

48 Responses to Notes from a small dog – War and peace

Those damn sparrows – they are such trouble-makers! But you are doing your due diligence, Ani, and sooner or later you will probably have to keep that dratted cat in line too. There’s always something! 🙂

Well, Ani, we can hope that upstairs cat doesn’t get a cat flap or escape. I thought to say something about well mannered cats, but you might find that a silly idea. Anyway, it will probably stay in its house up there. Do try to relax about the sparrows a bit. I don’t think they present much of a threat to your human. Geese or turkeys would be more of an issue.

LOL – Ani, I meant the ones with the feathers still on. And, she can hardly blame you if she leaves the fridge open – turkey, cheese, and such – what a terrible temptation fo a small dog. But, you know she can forgive you just about anything.

Ani that two legs of yours needs retraining … I have two two legs and I have them very well trained …I agree the male is easier to control than the female! ..Get working on the two legs Ani pull your paw out!! Love and Hugs Ruby 💜💝💗💜💝💗💜💝💗

Ani, you would not like my house. Two cats live here. Of course Raven the black male kitty would turn tail and run at the first glimpse of you or your two-legs. He’s a fraidy cat, but Katy the calico girl cat might hiss and spit. She’s very possessive of her “space.” Raven is terrified of her.

Ani, two-legs just don’t appreciate all we try to do for them. I bark at ANYthing that goes by, esp. trucks (which I have to go shrill on, ‘cuz they are so loud), and all I hear is ‘Enough!’ (sigh) They just don’t get us. In sympathy, your pal, Wren

Awww, Ani, just chill. That kitty has it’s own job to do to protect its two-legs. I hope you both learn to get along. It’s our differences that make the world interesting. Love and Hugs and a Belly Rub, my sweet Ani.

I don’t know about you, but those sparrows are waking me up earlier and earlier every morning, Ani. What a racket they make when they get up. All I want to do when I wake up is stretch, yawn, and go back to bed for an hour!

I hope that cat stays exactly where it is. I’m just very glad there aren’t any here where we now live.
Have a very bark-able weekend.
Much love,
Toby
xx

Oh, Ani, I gets the same from my two leggeds. At night I go charging out to protect and keep cats away but oh no, I gets the “Get inside.” or worse. “have you done your pee pee.” Pee pee! I’m a dog, I……well I haves no words. Sparrows they make me chase them then they come back and we do it all over again. I know your pain, Ani. much paw love, Dante Dawg. xxx

With Stuart France

Graphic Novels

By Sue Vincent

With Dr G. MIchael Vasey

Books by Stuart France

Silent Eye Workbooks

Please respect the copyright of all original material and images on this site. You are welcome to use excerpts, reblogs and links as long as clear, named credit and appropriate links back to this site are used. Written permission is required for all other reproduction.
Thank you.